A - Pours a pitch black, charcoal color, with a lingering 1-finger head that hangs around For quite a bit. Carbonation is impossible to judge just by looking at this beer...I haz an excite!

S - whiskey barrel, vanilla, Muntons chocolate malt, and nips of licorice and cacao nibs.Alcohol is subtle, and warms the sinuses so nicely, that you wouldn't mind just SMELLING this %13 monster. WOW. I need a 5-gallon whiskey barrel for my home brewing projects, stat!!!

T - vanilla jumps forward, followed by more chocolate, black malt, and light boozy notes. Once again, this beer hides its' ABV well, showing no "heat", just warmth, reminiscent of single malt scotch. There are some light, underlying mineral notes in the background, as well as a smooth smokiness that is in no way offensive, or cloying.I could go on forever about the depth of this beer....

M - PURE VELVET. So silky, the fact that there IS carbonation never crosses your mind!If all beer was this strong, AND this easy to drink , and enjoy, there would be no war.(Seriously. We'd all be too hammered to care.) Parabola possesses the palate, and lingers just long enough to remind you that the crappy beer your friends drink should never be good enough for you.

O - All I can say is "wow". This beer is so perfect, I really can't find anything negative to say about it. I will age a few, in drooling anticipation of greater things to come.Do whatever you have to to snag one... It's worth it! Cheers!!!

2012 Vintage poured into a snifter glass. Aged for about 1 year properly in a friend's basement cellar

A - Pours very dark brown, almost totally black, with a small khaki head.

S - Lots of oak right away, with a little bourbon and some chocolate

T - Lots of oaky barrel flavors up front, followed by a smooth chocolate flavor and a hot alcohol finish.

M - Full bodied, but somewhat thinner than I expected out of a huge oatmeal stout.

O - This was my first Parabola and I had been waiting about a year to drink it, so I had some high expectations, but I was kind of let down. I was hoping for more bourbon and a thicker, sweeter body, but it was actually kind of dry with a lot of alcohol burn and not a ton of bourbon flavor. Maybe I would like it better fresh? Most people rave about this beer, so I would definitely give it a try - but I'd rather have a regular BCS which I can easily obtain every year and I have to hunt this out.